Checking in - and a few of my recent favourite things!

Hello there! It's been a while, hasn't it?! How is your summer going? I have to say that summer in Ireland this year is pretty much so far non-existent. I think we maybe had a whole three days of sunshine about a month ago and ever since then it's been pretty much non-stop gloom. It  turns out that dark clouds can have unexpected silver linings, though,  in that I've finally been catching up on some shows I've been meaning to check out for quite a while. Usually I ditch TV during the summer months (increasingly impossible to do because TOO MANY SHOWS!) but that's all changed in this summer of rain. 

So, here are some of my favourite things of the past while. You'll find a few TV shows here, along with some music, beauty bits and a pretty addictive podcast too.

Also, book reviews are a-coming.  I'll be sharing my thoughts on the new Jenny Han (all good things!) and I'll also do a round-up of  summer reads very soon. Promise!*

*****

I am an unapologetic David Lynch fangirl, so I'm not at all exaggerating when I say I pretty much lost my mind when this new series of Twin Peaks was first announced. After that initial excitement, I tried to temper my expectations just a bit. First of all, I didn't believe - until about I was half-way through the first episode, ha! - that this was actually happening. Secondly, I felt that there was a really good chance that this return to Twin Peaks could possibly be a total and utter disaster. Spoiler alert: It's not. The new series of Twin Peaks is pure, unadulterated Lynch, and it is glorious. It's everything I ever could have wanted and more. Go watch it.  But don't even try to watch it if you haven't first seen the original series and the prequel movie, Fire Walk With Me. 

*****

You know, I was really in two minds about even checking out Thirteen Reasons Why. I haven't read the book and that's because I've always been turned off by its premise: girl commits suicide and then makes everybody else live with the fact that they are to blame for her demise. Obviously there's more to the story - but this was my first impression of the book and it's why I never got around to reading it.

 Anyhow, this is the story of how I came to watch Thirteen Reasons Why: So, everybody on my Twitter feed has been positively raving about Riverdale all year long, but three episodes in, it wasn't really working for me.  Fearing that I had finally outgrown teen drama (no!!!) I decided to switch to Thirteen Reasons Why - and was hooked right from the start.  I really enjoyed this one. Great performances from the two leads. 

 In the end I stuck with Riverdale, because I will always love teen drama -  even if the acting in this one is sometimes so hammy as to offend my vegetarian sensibilities! 

*****

If you're a true-crime junkie, then you're probably listening to Up and Vanished already. If not, though, check it out. The first season is wrapping up soon, so you'll have quite a bit of catching up to do, but it's worth it. Up and Vanished is a real-time investigative podcast that strives to solve missing persons cases. The first season takes a closer look into the 2005 disappearance of high school teacher Tara Grinstead - with surprising and revelatory results. 

Find out more: http://www.upandvanished.com/

*****

Ever since its release a few years back Jo Malone's Wood Sage & Sea Salt has been my go to summer fragrance. Light, fresh and free-spirited, this is the scent of all the best bits of a summer spent by the shore. I love it!

I am a big fan of the make-up priming and refreshing properties of a facial spritz. Caudalie's cult classic Beauty Elixir remains a favourite that is hard to beat, but I tried out a sample of the Rejuvenating Facial Spritz from Bloom & Blossom a while back and liked it so much I purchased the full size. This one boasts collagen boosting properties, a citrusy scent and promises to improve skin tone, while chasing away wrinkles and dark shadows. Sounds good!

*****

I've been listening to this album non-stop for the past month! It's actually been around since 2013, so why it took me this long to discover Simple Pleasures by Still Corners, I do not know.  It is an album made for simple pleasures, this one. Think of it as the perfect accompaniment to a moonlight drive, a spontaneous road trip or a glass of wine beneath a setting sun. It's very chill. If you like pop of the dream or electro variety, then I'm pretty sure you'll like this!

*****

* Unless the sun makes and appearance - then all bets are off!